Doll-hand.



M. R. HARRISON.

DOLL HAND.

APPLICATION FILED NOV, I6, 1916.

ll! ww m m m m m M & ,M/ 0 w w 3/ dm id 1 MARTHA R. Hannrsomor new YORK,N. Y.

DOLL-HAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed November 16, 1916. Serial N 0. 131,720'%.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTHA R. HARRISON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the countyand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Doll-Hands, of which the following is a specification.

purpose of my invention is to provide a doll hand having a body portionand a number of digits carried thereby and movable relatively theretoindependently of each other, each digit having a proximate normalposition which it normally tends to assume and to which it tends toreturn when displaced, the several digits being so connected to the bodyportion as to form therewith, when in their respective normal positions,a closed hand or a clenched fist.

nother purpose of my invention is to so connect the thumb and fingers tothe body portion of the hand that these parts are held together withsome degree of resilience accompanied by more or less passiveness tochanges in relative position, in such manner as to simulate the actionof corresponding parts of an infants hand.

A further purpose of my invention is to render life-like the pressureexerted by the thumb and fingers whenever these members are displacedbut slightly from any given relative positions in which they may be set.

In the accompanying drawing, in which like letters indicate like partsin all the views, I show one practical embodiment of.

the invention. a

Figure 1 is a perspective of a dolls hand, made according to myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a section through the hand, showing one way of securing thethumb and fingers in position.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2, but showing another way ofsecuring the thumb and fingers in position.

Fig. 4 is a detail view, showing a portion of the elastic band forholding the thumb and fingers in position. i

Fig. 5 is a detail view, showing a fastening used in the structureemployed in Fig. 3.

The body portion of the hand appears at 5, and is provided with fivepassages, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, disposed radially, and with a connecting orcross passage 11, into which the several passages 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 allmerge. The body portion 5 is further provided with a knob 12, by aidwhereof the hand as a whole may be mounted upon the dolls forearm, inthe usual or any desired manner.

The fingers are shown at 13, l4, 15, 16, and

the thumb at 17 These are in this instance each made in a single piece,and provided with a screw eye 18.

Inthe form shown in Fig. 2, I employ a band 19 of soft rubber, toconnect the thumb and fingers with the body member 5. For this purposeone closed end of the band is passed loosely around the base of the knob12, so as to assume the form indicated in Fig. 4. The band is nowthreaded through the passage 10 and the thumb 17 mounted upon it. Nextit is threaded through the adjacent part of the passage 11 and out againat the outer end of the passage 9, and thefore finger 16 is mounted uponit. Then it is threaded in and out and thus carried along through thepassage 11 each of the fingers 15, 14, 13 in succession being mounteduponit. Finally the free closed end is slipped over the base of the knob12. The two closed ends ofthe rubber band will then appear as indicatedin Fig. 4. The band is stretched tightly at each successive step duringthis operation. If the fingers be connected as indicated in Fig. 2, theband, (which of course is double) is merely threaded through each eye18. If the connection of the fingers be made as indicated in Fig. 3, theband is first threaded outwardly through a passage 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, soas to leave a portion of the band loosely protruding that is, extendingradially outward from a hole in the body portion of the hand. Next thisprotruding portion is bent back upon itself and thus formed into a loop,which is then thrust through the, eye 10. The tip end of the band isstill free, however, and is now brought around and through the loop. Asimple knot is thus formed, as indicated in Fig. 5. By stretching theband at each step before the knot is tied, the band is rendered taut andthe digits are thus held resiliently upon the body member 5. The totallength of the band is so apportioned relatively to the size of thevarious other parts that when the band is in position it will hold thedigits with just sufiicient tightness to enable their movements to belifelike when they are shifted passively from desired,

as the ball portion of a two-part joint, sometimes called a doll joint.I

I have found that the thumb and fingers, if mounted as above described,may be grasped by the operator, pried open gently and placed about anarticle, such as or a bottle, and that the article is 'held or claspedin a manner simulating that employed by a living child. I have alsodiscovered that if the operator takes hold of the article and removesit, the doll fingers and thumb have a noticeable tendency to cling toit. The resilience and power of the rubber band, acting upon theartificial thumb and fingers, causes them, when the rubber band isstretched slightly more than usual, to press a little harder than usualin an effort to resume their respective normal positions. The net resultis that the operator, in removing the apple or other article,experiences a sensation as if the dolls hand were clinging on to it withlife-like reluctance.

The hand as a Whole is so arranged as to appear graceful when the partsoccupy their respective normal positions. In the particular instancehere shown, achubby little hand is shown with the fingers gracefullycloseda chubby fist of artistic form. As different kinds of anatomicalmembers movable relatively to each other, may be given difl'erentgraceful poses, however, I do not limit myself to the mechanism of ahand.

The spirit of my invention is intended to cover any group of mechanismbuilt up of anatomical parts, so arranged collectively as to havepredetermined relative normal positions suggestive of graceful pose,andinto which the anatomical parts move automatically when displaced andafterward released.

I claim 2- 1. In a doll mechanism the combination of a bodyportionprovided with a number of radiating passages and with a crosspassage merging intosaid radiating passages, a number of digitseachhaving an eye, and a rubber band. threaded through all of said passagesand through each of the eyes, in order to connect the digits with thebody portion.

2. Ina dolls hand the combination of a Y Copies of this patent may beobtained for an apple body portion provided with a knob, said bodyportion being further provided with a number of passages radiating fromsaid knob and with a cross passage merging into said radiating passages,a number of digits separate from said body portion and located inproximity to the outer ends of said radiating passages, and a rubberband looped around said knob and threaded through the passages, saiddigits being connected to said rubber band at different points along itslength.

3. In a dolls hand, the combination of a body portion provided withpassages, a single band of resilient material threaded through saidpassages, and a number of digits separate from said body portion andseparately connected to difierent portions of said band. i

4:. In a dolls hand, the combination of a body portion provided with anumber of radiating passages, a rubber band threaded through saidpassages and a number of digits separate from said body portion and fromeach other, the several digits being connected to different portions ofsaid band and located in proximity to the outer ends of said radiatingpassages, said body portion and said digits being so shaped as to formcollectively a structure analogous to a childs hand and having normallya predetermined graceful pose, which, under tension of said band, isautomatically resumed when the digits are displaced from it relativelyto the body portion.

5. In a device of the character described the combination of a bodyportion representing a comparatively large anatomical member, a numberof smaller members separate fromesaid body portion and from each other,resilient connections from said last mentioned members to said bodyportion, said body portion and said members being so.

shaped as to form collectively a structure analogous to a part of aliving child and having normally a predetermined graceful pose which,under tension of said resilient connections, is automatically resumedwhen said members are disturbed in position relatively to said bodyportion.

MARTHA R. HARRISON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of .Patents, Washington,D. 0.

